Myers shedded light on the ups and downs of another historic Warriors season

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Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr talks to Warriors general manager Bob Myers after the Golden State Warriors 101-92 win over the Houston Rockets for Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference finals at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, on Monday, May 28, 2018. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

From left, Golden State Warriors' Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, General Manager Bob Myers and Kevin Durant get their photo taken as the players hold their National Basketball Association All-Star Game jerseys during a presentation held before the start of their game against the Utah Jazz in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. (Doug Duran/Bay Area News Group)

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(Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers speaks to the media about their 28th overall pick in the first round of the 2018 NBA Draft during a press conference held at Rakuten Performance Center in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 21, 2018. The Warriors selected University of Cincinnati's Jacob Evans. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers speaks with the news media from the team's practice facility in Oakland, Calif., on Friday, July 7, 2017. Myers was available to discuss the on-going free agency period. (Anda Chu/Bay Area News Group)

New Golden State Warriors' coach Mark Jackson, left center, talks with Warren Braithwait, Bob Myers, Warriors' assistant manager, and Dr. George Baljevich of TV 30, left to right, before a press conference introducing Jackson at the St. Regis Hotel on Friday, June 10, 2011 in San Francisco, Calif. Jackson had a 17-year career as a point guard, first drafted by his hometown New York Knicks in 1987. (Jane Tyska/Staff)

Dig a bit deeper, though, and the Warriors faced plenty of challenges. Just as they did through three NBA championships in four Finals appearances, the Warriors had mixed progress with managing complacency. Kevin Durant and Draymond Green had their on-court argument. Plenty of fascination awaits on whether the Warriors can keep Durant this summer as well as Klay Thompson.

So a summer after acquiring DeMarcus Cousins to complement Stephen Curry, Durant, Green and Thompson, Warriors general manager Bob Myers has overseen a team navigating interesting pivot points amid its quest to become only the sixth team in NBA history to win three consecutive titles. Myers spoke with Bay Area News Group on some of those storylines.

Myers: “It’s great. To each person, they probably experienced it differently. It ranged from knowing that we’re playing again [in the playoffs] in four or five days to it might have been people’s last time at Oracle. For me, I was enjoying the moment in my own way. I looked up at the second level where I got to see my first Warriors game. From watching everybody’s emotion and respecting their own personal feelings of it. It was great for our fans and it was fitting. I’m mostly glad we won the game.”

What’s your favorite Oracle Arena moment?

Myers: “There’s a lot of them. Probably the first year we made the playoffs with Mark [Jackson] in 2013. We were writing the magic number on the board. We don’t do that anymore. We celebrated more for that moment than we did for most at Oracle besides winning a championship. Just clinching a playoff spot was a pretty big moment for those of us that were there then.”

How would you compare this season’s journey to the past four?
Myers: “Every season is different. Very different for many many reasons. That would be no fun. They all have challenges and have highs and lows. I’m proud of us. We moved through it as gracefully as we can. You just have to understand that sometimes you bend and never break. To finish with the No. 1 seed in the West was a goal. To achieve that goal is great. That’s what we signed up to do. We didn’t write a certain win total on the board. It was nothing other than we wanted to be the No. 1 seed in the West. We accomplished that. We’re going to celebrate that internally. We appreciate the effort that the players put in to get that. Last year we went in the playoffs as a No. 2 seed. We faced a moment [against Houston in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals] where we were right up on the precipice. Now knowing at least in the West that we have to lose at home to get knocked out is a good feeling going into the playoffs.”

Given that, how would you compare how you feel about how things are to close this season to how it ended last season?
Myers: “We’re ending better this year. We obviously have had moments each season where we could’ve played better. But I think we’re finishing on a better note than last year. I don’t know where that translates into the postseason. But it feels like we’re in a better rhythm than we were last year.”

How did the team get through the Durant-Draymond incident?

Myers: “Just being a decent human being. That’s like anything in life. This just happens to be on a bigger stage. You’re just doing your job. Everybody covers our organization. We’re fortunate to be in a spot where people care about our team as much they do, both good and bad. It was just being a high group of character people and leaning on Steve [Kerr]. That allows us to get through anything, to be honest. I always hearken back to losing Game 7 at home. That was a defining moment. That was a high level of adversity. To respond the way we have, it’s a credit to leadership to Steve’s side and also the players.

With that in particular, how often were you involved directly to put out any fires?
Myers: “It’s all organic. It’s all life stuff. We all decide when to engage in relationships and how to do it. Whether it’s addressing the team, whether it’s a private conversation and whether it’s done in person and whether it’s done on the phone or whether it’s done after a game. It’s a very imperfect approach. But the basic thing is you have to build enough rapport and equity with whatever relationships you have at work. When things are difficult, you have a foundation to move off of. That’s the work you put in on days when everything is good. We’re all going to have days that are difficult. But if we’ve not worked and communicated during the good moments, if all we do is address when things are difficult, it’s not going to be as effective. It’s the work we put in each day that allows us to overcome the difficult moments.”

You’ve often said you’re focused on just this season, but to what extent have you seen the uncertain future be something you have had to manage internally?
Myers: “Speculation is a part of your job and part of the fans’ interest. One day if I’m a fan or in the media, I’ll understand the desire for it and am totally aware of that. But my personal belief is it’s very hard to operate in the now as it is. Once you start focusing on the unknown, it becomes exponentially harder. My job is to focus on what’s right in front of us. I’ve been in the NBA for 20-something years and representing players for 14 or 15 [with Wasserman Media Group]. Most of the time, everyone is guessing anyway. I don’t have the time or inclination to worry.”

(Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

To the point you made about Steve, what do you think is similar and then unique with how he has managed this group compared to other seasons?
Myers: “He’s always done a fantastic job. We’re so fortunate to have him captaining this ship, whether it’s smooth waters or bumpy. You can’t find a better human being or coach to do it. He’s humble. He’s selfless. He cares to the right degree. He’s a competitive guy. You’ve been around long enough to know that the fire burns and simmers inside of him. Sometimes it shows itself. But for the most part, it is an inner fury that he carries with in a positive way. The spotlight is upon us. It’s stayed there for a few years and it has shined bright. He’s done a wonderful job of communicating to the public and to our players and what is important and what isn’t. That is the challenge through each season – what do we let fall off our shoulders and what do we need to address? It’s not always clear. But he does a great job of that.”

How would you break down what is important and what isn’t?
Myers: “That’s where having players and situations having played and been around championship teams and understanding the length of the season and understanding when it is right to ask for more of your players and when it’s okay to say they didn’t have it. [Steve] understands having played on a team that won it three years ago with the Bulls and now coaching it, it’s an understanding that only players and coaches have as far as the difficulty of that. Only the people in that locker room really understand what it takes. He’s sat in a locker room that did that. So who else but him can say that? Not many people. I can’t. So when he speaks on that and notes this is going to be difficult and this is going to be a challenge, he speaks from a great platform.

Regarding Steve’s fury, that reminded me of what is going on lately with the interactions between the team and officials and the high volume of technicals. What is your level of concern with that entering the postseason?
Myers: “I actually enjoy watching our team and Steve. I chuckle at times when he’s on the road and losing it on the officials. I get it. It’s a very emotional thing. If you don’t care, apathy would be my biggest worry, whether it’s our players or coaches. We certainly are not apathetic. That’s when you get scared – when apathy creeps in and you don’t care. Caring too much, that can bite you sometimes. But I’d much rather have a group of people that go over the line because they’re too passionate over them not being interested in the outcome. Sure, you have to channel it. You have to be smart about it. But sometimes there’s a healthy emotion that tips over, and that’s okay.

So you enjoyed Steve’s clipboard spike?
Myers: “I always love that stuff [laughs]. It’s great. I’m also empathetic. I don’t know how I would be as a head coach. Who am I say what I would do? Maybe I would break the clipboards, too.”

You addressed the team last year, though, about the technicals. What is different about this year?
Myers: “I do feel like it’s different. Even when it boils over with the officials, I feel like they’re bringing lately the necessary effort and they’re engaged to the right degree. They’re bringing the right level of intensity. I’m also personally understanding of the fact that they’re trying to go to the Finals for five straight years. It’s a different animal. Every year you try to climb that mountain consecutively, it’s a little bit harder. That’s okay.

What were your expectations entering this season with DeMarcus, knowing who he is as a player and knowing the severity of returning from an Achilles injury, and how has that lined up with you’ve seen entering the postseason?

Myers: “He’s been great. I think he’s been great on the court. I think he’s been great off the court. He brings a different dimension and something that we didn’t have as a physical, low-post scoring threat. That’s important in the playoffs. People forget about Houston in last year’s series, we were struggling to score. It was two of the best offenses in the league, and the point totals were in the low 90’s. So you have to find a way to score. DeMarcus gives you a better option on the block, and is something we never had. He plays with great physicality.

I’m excited for him. He’s also going to bring this child-like enthusiasm. Him about to play in the playoffs for the first time is good for our team. We don’t have to have just guys that take it for granted. I don’t think they do. But it’s nice to have a new guy. I imagine if you took the pulse of everybody, his would be the highest going into the playoffs because he’s going to be so excited. There’s nothing like your first playoff game. I’m very very happy he gets to experience it either Saturday or Sunday.

What did you learn about him that you didn’t know about him before he joined the Warriors?

Myers: “He’s been a great teammate, especially with the young guys. He’s very cerebral. People don’t give him enough credit for how smart of a player he is. He’s passionate and competitive. A lot of the knocks on him stem solely from the fact that he’s ultra competitive. He cares and wants to win. We talked the other day and I said, ‘Your biggest issue might be that you love basketball.’ He said, ‘Yeah that gets me in trouble.’ I said, ‘No way, that’s a fantastic quality to have.’ You love basketball. To see him love the game as much as he does is great. Some players in the NBA don’t.”

I understand why signing Andrew Bogut appealed to you because of his skills and history with the team, but how did you weigh that option with what you could’ve gotten on the buyout market or any deals?
Myers: “We determined what is our best fit and what we need. Having another center was important for us. Andrew, especially, with knowing our system and knowing our players. We thought it would be a seamless transition. I would argue it’s been great. He’s been a great energy guy. He’s come back for all the right reasons. All he wants to do is come out and compete for another championship. The rim protection, passing, the screening and experience – he checks a lot of boxes for us. We were thrilled he wanted to come. It wasn’t mentioned much. It’s rare these days that it didn’t leak out. But he was our primary target. I know there are other people many thought we were targeting. But he was on the forefront. He’s the guy we really wanted.”

So it wasn’t more reacting to what wound up not becoming available on the buyout market?
Myers: “We were focused on Bogut. The only thing we were wondering was how long we would have to wait. He could’ve taken another week had his team [in Sydney] advanced to the Finals. We weren’t sure when he would be able to arrive. If we could’ve gotten him a month earlier, we would’ve done that.”

With your All-Stars, what’s your outlook on them receiving any awards this season whether it’s regular season MVP for Steph or Durant, All-Defensive teams for Draymond or Klay or anything else?
Myers: “This isn’t going to sound good. But I don’t pay attention to any of that stuff. I only care what happens from a team perspective. But that’s not fair to them. I hope they get their due, whatever it is and whatever they deserve. I know it’s important to them. For me, I never got any awards so I don’t know what it feels like [laughs]. But sometimes we focus more on that than we should. The only thing that matter is if your team wins or loses.”

I’ve asked you this before and you mentioned the point of not being able to fully evaluate until the season ends. But has what you’ve seen from your young players lined up with what your expectations were for them through the regular season?
Myers: “Some pleasant surprises and some guys we’re going to be patient on. It’s a mix. I’ve said this to you and everybody else: I don’t judge young players after a year, two or even three. There are so many examples of players being overly celebrated or overly criticized and then they prove us wrong. It happens every year. There are 50 guys we thought were going to be great and they aren’t and 50 guys we thought were going to be not so great and they turn out to be good. It’s important to evaluate at the end of the year. But it’s also important not to make conclusions without giving players time. Our team is a little bit unique because we don’t afford a ton of space for young guys to go through mistakes. But it’s all part of the whole thing. One day maybe we’ll be in a situation where we’re letting young players play 30 minutes a night. That’s how they get better. But we’re not in that spot. Still, a lot of guys showed growth throughout the year.”

Wrapping this up all together, what are the positive feelings and concerns you have entering the playoffs?
Myers: “I’m worried about the competition. We should be. They’re all good. Who we play in the first round is going to be a good team. If we get by them, we play another good team. It’s supposed to be hard. It will be hard. We need to stay healthy, and I want every other team to stay healthy. Not just ours. We want to play teams at their best. We want to be at our best. Then you take whatever result you get. I want health for us and every other 15 teams in the playoffs. We should fear the competition.”